scholarly journals Exploring the behavioral drivers of review valence

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 3083-3099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Stamolampros ◽  
Nikolaos Korfiatis
Keyword(s):  
Information Content ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
The Other ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Spatial Distance ◽  
Bag Of Words ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Ratings ◽  
Positive Direct

Purpose Although the literature has established the effect of online reviews on customer purchase intentions, the influence of psychological factors on online ratings is overlooked. This paper aims to examine these factors under the perspective of construal level theory (CLT). Design/methodology/approach Using review data from TripAdvisor and Booking.com, the authors study three dimensions of psychological distances (temporal, spatial and social) and their direct and interaction effects on review valence, using regression analysis. The authors examine the effect of these distances on the information content of online reviews using a novel bag-of-words model to assess its concreteness. Findings Temporal distance and spatial distance have positive direct effects on review valence. Social distance, on the other hand, has a negative direct effect. However, its interaction with the other two distances has a positive effect, suggesting that consumers tend to “zoom-out” to less concrete things in their ratings. Practical implications The findings provide implications for the interpretation of review ratings by the service providers and their information content. Originality/value This study extends the CLT and electronic word-of-mouth literature by jointly exploring the effect of all three psychological distances that are applicable in post-purchase evaluations. Methodologically, it provides a novel application of the bag-of-words model in evaluating the concreteness of online reviews.

The effects of cruise attributes on impulse buying behavior: the mediating role of impulsive buying tendency

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jookyung Kwon ◽  
Jiseon Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Impulse Buying ◽  
Buying Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Impulsive Buying ◽  
Positive Direct ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the effects of cruise attributes on impulse buying of service customers through impulsive buying tendency. Specifically, this study investigates whether service attributes (variety of selection and price) influence the impulsive buying behavior of customers by stimulating their impulsive buying tendency. Design/methodology/approach Partial least squares-structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis using a sample of 143 cruise customers. Mediating analysis was conducted to examine whether customer personal traits (impulsivity) mediated the relationship between service attributes and impulsive buying behavior. Findings The findings showed that price attributions had a significant positive direct impact on impulsive buying tendency and behavior, while a variety of selections had a significant direct effect on impulse buying behavior. The results revealed a significant mediating role of impulsive buying tendency in the relationship between price attributions and impulse buying. Originality/value Although studies on the decision-making style of service customers have been widely discussed, a limited number of studies has examined customers’ impulsive buying behavior in the service sector. Considering the importance of impulsive purchasing as a valuable marketing tool, the results of this study can help service providers and researchers enhance their knowledge of the mechanism of impulse buying behavior.

The effect of online reviews on restaurant visit intentions: applying signaling and involvement theories

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Aureliano-Silva ◽  
Xi Leung ◽  
Eduardo Eugênio Spers
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Signaling Theory ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Involvement ◽  
Online Ratings ◽  
Involvement Theory ◽  
Restaurant Reviews

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of online reviews on consumers’ intention to visit restaurants, with the moderating role of involvement. Design/methodology/approach The research framework was built on signaling theory, message appeals and involvement theory. To test the proposed framework, three experiments were conducted online with real customer samples. T-tests, ANOVA and SPSS PROCESS macro were used for data analysis. Findings The results revealed that online reviews with higher online ratings and emotional appeal led to higher restaurant visit intention. Review appeal significantly moderated the effect of online ratings on restaurant visit intention. Customers with low restaurant involvement were more impacted by emotional comments than by functional comments. Research limitations/implications The present study extends our knowledge on the effects of online reviews moderated by levels of customer involvement. By combining signaling theory with involvement theory, it adds value to the literature on customer online behavior, especially in the foodservice context. The present study has limitations that might provide opportunities for future research. It used evaluations (TripAdvisor scores) and only positive reviews (texts), so customers’ intentions considering negative reviews could not be examined. The level of hedonism concerning consumption in restaurants and prior knowledge regarding restaurant reviews was not controlled for. It is possible that the level of hedonism perceived and prior review knowledge may moderate the customers’ intention to visit the restaurant. Practical implications The present study shows the importance of online comments for the promotion of restaurants that have low evaluation scores. It is essential that restaurant owners and managers encourage potential customers by using comments to elaborate on their marketing strategies and promotion. At the same time, they should invite customers to share their emotional experiences, and not just their views on service efficiency (a functional aspect). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of the internet and mobile devices has become more prominent. Managers could therefore use emotional messages on the restaurant’s website or apps to attract customers with low restaurant involvement. Also, a system to identify the involvement of customers with restaurants could be implemented online or on mobile devices to present specific messages. The present study also recommends the use of online tools as virtual tours, photographs taken from different angles, smiling faces, floor plans and sittings and pre-determined emotional expressions. Also, the restaurant could promote lives on cooking different dishes to motive customer’s interaction and comments. These would help to increase customers’ visit intentions. Originality/value This study extends knowledge about the effect of restaurant online reviews (both ratings and appeals) moderated by the level of customer involvement. The present study also adds value to the customer online behavior literature showing that customers with low involvement are more sensitive to emotional content as they use the affective route to process information rather than the central route.

Tit for tat: understanding the responding behavior of property hosts on peer-to-peer rental platforms

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 1105-1126
Author(s):  
Sai Liang ◽  
Xiaoxia Zhang ◽  
Chunxiao Li ◽  
Hui Li ◽  
Xiaoyu Yu
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Theoretical Development ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Tit For Tat ◽  
Hotel Managers ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Due to their very different contexts, the responses made by property hosts to online reviews can differ from those posted by hotel managers. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of the responding behavior of hosts on peer-to-peer property rental platforms. Design/methodology/approach This study applied a comprehensive framework based on the theory of planned behavior. Empirical models are constructed based on 89,967 guest reviews with their associated responses to reveal the responding pattern of property hosts. Findings Unlike hotel managers, property hosts are more likely to reply to positive than to negative reviews; moreover, when they do choose to respond to negative reviews, they are likely to do so negatively, in a “tit-for-tat” way. This study also finds that one reason for the difference of responding patterns between property hosts and hotel managers is the hosts’ lack of experience of consumer relationship management and service recovery. Research limitations/implications This study provides a good start point for future theoretical development regarding effective responding strategy on peer-to-peer property rental platforms, as well as some useful implications for practitioners. Originality/value This study is an early attempt to analyze the impact of the particularity of emerging platforms on the responding behavior of service providers based on a comprehensive conceptual framework and empirical model thus provides a good starting point for the further investigation of effective response strategies on these emerging platforms.

Expert cues: how expert reviewers are perceived online

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 531-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Naujoks ◽  
Martin Benkenstein
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
The Other ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Review Author ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Source Expertise ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore different types of source expertise and how they influence perceived message quality. Consumers face the challenge to identify valuable online reviews. Source expertise as a signal of message quality can be displayed differently, depending on website layout, operator and review author.Design/methodology/approachTwo scenario-based experiments were conducted questioning 135 and 275 participants. They investigate the effect of different types of expert reviewers on perceived message quality and also examine the interplay of source expertise and source trustworthiness.FindingsThe findings reveal that the different types of expert reviewers differ in perceived expertise and their impact on perceived message quality. Claims of expertise induce the highest perceived expertise compared to the other expert types and non-experts, but are perceived as less trustworthy.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should examine the influence of the expert types across different product and service categories and could also include moderating influences that reflect how consumers process expert cues differently.Practical implicationsCues that signal high expertise and high trustworthiness are likely to deliver the most valuable online reviews. This should be incorporated in the website's layout to help consumers find valuable information.Originality/valueThe approach of this research is novel in that it undertakes comparisons between three types of expert cues and non-experts. It also addresses the interplay of source expertise and trustworthiness and examines the effect on message quality.

scholarly journals “We(b)care”

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 486-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Dens ◽  
Patrick De Pelsmacker ◽  
Nathalia Purnawirawan
Keyword(s):  
Service Provider ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Internal Validity ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Trust ◽  
Patronage Intentions

Purpose – Consumers often discuss brands and companies online, but no research details how service providers’ responses to online reviews influence other readers’ perceptions of the reviews and responses. Based on justice theory and the accountability principle, both integrated in equity theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine how service providers should react to different degrees of negative reviews to enhance readers’ attitudes, patronage intentions, and intentions to spread positive word of mouth. Design/methodology/approach – A 3 (review set balance: positive, neutral, negative) × 6 (response strategy) full-factorial between-subjects experiment included 973 respondents. Findings – More negative balance demands more effort from the service provider to create positive attitudes and encourage behavioural intentions. If a minority of reviewers are dissatisfied, no response is necessary; if the review set is neutral, the service provider should apologize and promise to resolve the problem; if a majority of reviewers are dissatisfied, the most effective response includes both an apology, promise and compensation. These effects are mediated by readers’ perceived trust in the response. Word of mouth also requires more effort than favourable attitudes or patronage intentions. Research limitations/implications – This research reflects the authors’ choices with regard to review set balance and managerial responses, which ensure internal validity but may limit external validity. Originality/value – This study applies offline service recovery strategies to an online review context. It also explicitly incorporates the bystander (potential customer) perspective.

scholarly journals Comparing the web and mobile platforms of a social Q&A service from the user’s perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Chen ◽  
Alton Y.K. Chua ◽  
Shengli Deng
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Theoretical Aspect ◽  
Practical Aspect ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Mobile Users ◽  
Mobile Platforms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Web

Purpose As an increasing number of users have acquired information across the web and mobile platforms for social question and answering (Q&A), it is of interest to explore whether there are differences in social Q&A usages between the two platforms. The purpose of this paper is to compare web and mobile platforms of a social Q&A service from the user’s perspective in terms of three dimensions, namely, demographics, individual-based constructs, and information-based constructs. Design/methodology/approach Because Zhihu.com is one of the most popular social Q&A sites in China, the authors used online questionnaires to investigate its users’ perceptions of these three dimensions. From January to March 2016, the authors obtained 278 valid responses in total through snowball and convenient sampling. Collected data are analyzed through descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Findings The results indicate that there exist significant differences between web users and mobile users on Zhihu.com in terms of gender, affinity, and information seeking. More specifically, compared to the male users, more female users rely on the mobile platform to access the information service; mobile users perceive higher affinity with Zhihu.com than web users; and mobile users perceive higher information-seeking intention than web users do. Originality/value Regarding the theoretical aspect, this study proposes a conceptual framework for comparison between the web and mobile platforms of social Q&A from the user’s perspective. Regarding the practical aspect, the comparative results of this study could give social Q&A service providers useful information about users’ differences between web and mobile platforms of social Q&A services.

An international and comparative study of perceived justice in Mexican, Puerto Rican and Spanish hospitals

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 248-264
Author(s):  
Juan C. Sosa Varela ◽  
Irma Magaña ◽  
Carmen Padin ◽  
Carmen Otero-Neira ◽  
Maria de los M. Santos Corrada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
International Study ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Justice ◽  
Service Failures

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to test a construct of perceived justice and its dimensions in negative service encounters across Mexican, Puerto Rican and Spanish hospitals. Also to compare similarities and differences of perceived justice in negative service encounters in these countries. Design/methodology/approach – Includes Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Spaniards who have experienced service failures at hospital settings. A descriptive research design was followed and a self-administered questionnaire was applied to gather the data from respondents. The researchers applied convenience sampling, and a pre-screening of respondents was included to verify that respondents were appropriate to participate in the study. A total number of 937 usable questionnaires were obtained from the hospital settings. Findings – The empirical findings across three Spanish-speaking countries indicate that the construct of perceived justice in negative service encounters consists of merely 15 items, divided into three dimensions, namely, distributional, interactional and procedural. Research limitations/implications – The empirical findings provide satisfactory validity and reliability across three countries, but there are acknowledged research limitations. These offer an opportunity for further research to verify or falsify the validity, reliability and generalization of the current findings. Practical implications – Service providers may use the three-dimensional construct of perceived justice as a guide when developing, implementing and managing processes and procedures of service failures in negative service encounters. Originality/value – The current international study in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Spain complements and fortifies previous research and existing theory of perceived justice in negative service encounters, and possible actions of complaint handling as well as service recovery.

Mentoring communities of practice: what’s in it for the mentor?

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eimear Holland
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Community Of Practice ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Action Learning ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teacher Education Institution

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the critique of researchers, who question the effectiveness and sustainability of mentoring as a continuing professional development and learning (CPDL) process. Where a lack of awareness exists surrounding the potential benefits of mentoring for the mentor, this paper investigates whether engaging in and with mentoring through a mentoring community of practice (M-CoP) assists mentors to accrue and realise the benefits of engagement. A relationship will be drawn between the community of practice (CoP) dimensions as outlined by Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner (2015): domain, practice and community, and the perceived benefits accrued for mentors will be reported. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was taken, using a participatory action learning action research strategy. In total, 12 mentors came together to form a developing M-CoP. They attended four M-CoP workshops where they grew as mentors, through the three dimensions of a CoP: domain, practice and community. Workshops were audio visually recorded and observed. Further data were gathered through an M-CoP questionnaire, pre-workshop questions, M-CoP artefacts, stimulus recall, reflective journals, reflective journey plans and extended focus group discussions. Respondent validation, inter-rater and intra-observer reliability were used. Data were coded manually and using NVivo-10 software. Findings Many of the benefits reported were directly linked to participants’ engagement in and with the three M-CoP dimensions: domain, practice and community. Such benefits related to mentor identity, support and solidarity, engagement and interaction, sharing “for” and learning “from” other mentors, and knowledge expansion and boundary spanning. Participants reported that engaging in and with mentor education through an M-CoP was an effective CPDL process, which was beneficial for them as developing mentors. Research limitations/implications The sample size was limited, based in one country and focussed upon one subject specialism. Such reported benefits need to be disseminated in order to raise the awareness of policy makers, teacher education institution managers and teacher educators, teachers and school leaders of the benefits of engaging in mentoring CPDL through the process of M-CoP engagement. Practical implications The findings from this study can be used to inform policies related to the continuum of teacher education. A recommendation is made for policy makers, teacher education institution managers, school leaders and CPDL service providers to facilitate the development of M-CoPs and to support their growth. It is also suggested that government departments of education and professional standards bodies account for the resourcing of such work in the design and implementation phase of school placement developments. Originality/value This paper closes the following gaps in the literature: CPDL benefits of engaging in and with an M-CoP for the mentor, the relationship between CPDL benefits and CoP dimensions and the development of M-CoPs in the given socio-cultural, historical and economic context of Ireland’s teacher education system and those of similar contexts.

scholarly journals The influence of e-word-of-mouth on hotel occupancy rate

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 2035-2051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giampaolo Viglia ◽  
Roberta Minazzi ◽  
Dimitrios Buhalis
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Occupancy Rate ◽  
Consumer Reviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Consumer Reviews ◽  
Online Consumer ◽  
Occupancy Rates ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Online consumer reviews have become increasingly important for consumer decision-making. One of the most prominent examples is the hotel industry where consumer reviews on websites, such as Bookings.com, TripAdvisor and Venere.com, play a critical role in consumers’ choice of a hotel. There have been a number of recent studies analyzing various aspects of online reviews. The purpose of this paper is to investigate their effects in terms of hotel occupancy rates. Design/methodology/approach This paper measures through regression analysis the impact of three dimensions of consumer reviews (i.e. review score, review variance and review volume) on the occupancy rates of 346 hotels located in Rome, isolating a number of other factors that might also affect demand. Findings Review score is the dimension with the highest impact. The results suggest that after controlling for other variables, a one-point increase in the review score is associated to an increase in the occupancy rate by 7.5 percentage points. Regardless the review score, the number of reviews has a positive effect, but with decreasing returns, implying that the higher the number of reviews, the lower the beneficial effect in terms of occupancy rates is. Practical implications The findings quantify the strong association of online reviews to occupancy rates suggesting the use of appropriate reputational management systems to increase hotel occupancy and therefore performance. Originality/value A major contribution of this paper is its comprehensiveness in analyzing the relation between online consumer reviews and occupancy across a heterogeneous sample of hotels.

Customer relationship investment and relationship strength: evidence from insurance industry in China

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guicheng Shi ◽  
Huimei Bu ◽  
Yuan Ping ◽  
Matthew Tingchi Liu ◽  
Yonggui Wang
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
Relationship Strength ◽  
Relationship Investment ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to elucidate how different relationship investment efforts by a service firm affect its customers’ perceived relationship investment; to determine how perceived relationship investment influences various dimensions of relationship strength; and to explore the moderating effects of customer innovativeness and complaint propensity on the relationship between the perceived relationship investment and relationship strength. Design/methodology/approach To minimize common method variance, data were collected from pairs of life insurance agents in China and their clients using self-report questionnaires. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate that customers value financial effort most followed by social effort and structural effort. Perceived relationship investment influences the affective strength most strongly, followed by cognitive strength and conative strength. Customer innovativeness and complaint propensity both moderate the effectiveness of perceived relationship investment in influencing two of the three dimensions of relationship strength. Originality/value This study is among the first to specify how service employees can guide consumer perceptions of relationship investment by applying three types of relationship investment effort. The impact of perceived relationship investment on different dimensions of relationship strength was assessed to demonstrate how service providers can benefit from investing in building consumer relationships. The moderating impact of consumer innovativeness and of complaint propensity was quantified. The research findings have important implications for managing different relationship investment as well as recruiting and training service employees.

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